Delivering his team's final injury report ahead of a crucial regular-season finale bout against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan declared both tight end George Kittle (ankle) and left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) as questionable.
Signs are looking up for Kittle, who was able to practice for Saturday night's affair.
As for Williams, though, his availability seems much bleaker.
Shanahan pointed out earlier how Williams had never injured his hamstring before, meaning the setback suffered in the Niners' thrilling Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears puts the future Hall of Famer into unfamiliar territory.
So, while it's good for Williams to potentially be available, there's equally as good a chance he misses Week 18, too.
And that's the direction a prominent NFL insider is pointing.
Ian Rapoport 'not expecting' Trent Williams to suit up for 49ers vs. Seahawks
Speaking on Friday's edition of Good Morning Football, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport cast a serious doubt on Williams' potential availability for Week 18, not only taking into account the nature of the injury but also the short week after San Francisco played last Sunday night:
From @GMFB: The key injury updates in advance of the #49ers-#Seahawks game this weekend. pic.twitter.com/6u1MmNgjmb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2026
"Trent Williams, their Pro Bowl left tackle, one of the best left tackles of not just this year but really the last decade, he is officially listed as questionable, but he hasn't practiced at all this week dealing with a hamstring injury" Rapoport described. "It's hard to imagine he's out there with no practice on a short week. Crazier things have happened, but to me, I'm not expecting the big man to be out there."
Williams suffered his injury on the 49ers' first snap against Chicago and didn't return, forcing Shanahan to rely on seldom-discussed swing tackle Austen Pleasants.
Fortunately, Pleasants' efforts went well enough against a potent Bears team, even earning recognition from Shanahan in the postgame celebration within the locker room.
While the official announcement won't happen until 90 minutes prior to Saturday's kickoff when inactives are announced, it does seem likelier than not Williams won't be suiting up, and the Niners would rather rest him as much as possible in advance of the playoffs.
Hat tip to Mike Masala of the Niners Wire for the find and transcription.